


Pro Deus quod licentia

by RayneSummer



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Drabbles, Gen, uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:20:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6900214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayneSummer/pseuds/RayneSummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short stories set in and around A Thief's End. OBVIOUS SPOILERS. Specific outline to be detailed at the beginning of each chapter. Requests currently accepted and encouraged!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Under the Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after leaving Scotland. Nate's never taken the cold well.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: I have NO IDEA how far it is from Scotland to Madagascar. I don't even know where Madagascar is, but I live in England and I reckon it's pretty far, so by my intelligent reckoning, they could probably get there in a night by plane. Just go with it.)

Once he'd finished explaining the whole, as Sam put it, 'pirate pool theory', Nate sighed in a satisfied way to himself and comfortably leaned back in the seaplane seat, rubbing briefly at his itchy nose with the blanket draped over his shoulders, then stared vaguely out the window at the disappearing Scotland countryside as he drifted off to sleep, exhausted.

Barely an hour later, as they continued through the sky while it turrned darked, Nate found himself jolted awake by sneezing, twice. He barely had time to sniff, unimpressed, before sneezing again and trailing off into a short coughing fit, feeling unrested and pretty miserable.

"Gesundheit," Sully remarked as Nate slumped back unhappily, rubbing at his nose. He gave Sully a look that bordered on a pout and glanced behind them to see Sam curled up next to his towel, undisturbed and apparently asleep.

Facing the front again, Nate shivered and drew the blanket closer around himself as he rubbed at his stinging eyes, which, like the rest of him, wasn't happy with being awake again. 

"Still cold?" Sully asked mildly, looking at Nate in the pretense of giving him a once-over. He blinked and shrugged absently, feigning indifference. "I can put the heating on if you are," Sully ventured.

Nate coughed again and winced. This was so not the time to get sick, but convinience had never been part of his life, so he'd just have to deal with it.

"It's fine," he replied hoarsely, then frowned and tried to clear his throat as he heard Sully sigh and knew he was getting the 'sure, I believe you' front in the most non-verbal unbelieving way. Nate changed track, simply mumbling, "I'm going back to sleep."

Sully didn't say anything more, but as he watched the kid settle back with mild concern that Nate would, as usual, ignore his own ill health, he reached out and turned up the heating before shrugging his jacket off to ensure he didn't get too hot. Hopefully it would make Nate a little more comfortable for now.

By morning, he was running a low-grade fever and had an annoying sore throat that set him off coughing every few minutes.

Sam rolled his eyes and made a crack that maybe being in a warm, humid country for the past fifteen years had  _strengthened_ his immune system, while Sully ignored that comment and just gave Nate a knowing look at the kid slouched in his seat, feeling thoroughly miserable.

And sort of wishing he was back at home having soup with Elena curled up next to him. It couldn't hurt to think about it, as long as he didn't admit it out loud, right?

At any rate, there was no time for wallowing in self-pity, and especially not over this. Nate straightened up a bit and watched out the window as they approached a port in madagascar as the dawn rose.


	2. Being an Uncle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is a very loving and devoted uncle, and realises what his brother means by 'real greatness'.  
> (suggested/requested by Katie)  
> (inspired by AllTheMudkips' brilliant piece revolving around Sam and Cassie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing Cassie and Sam, apologies for any family relationship points that you think are incorrect for them! Also, I've never been to New York, it's just set there because it's a cool place. And I'm English so spell words as such, before anyone points anything out. Other than that, enjoy!  
> Good God this is aggressively domestic and meaingful

Cassie stayed beside her uncle as they strode down the street together. Sam could see the eight year old looking around in fascination, taking in the stores that surrounded them, the people in their own small lives hurrying to work or home or to catch a bus, the skyscrapers that towered over the city from their tips hidden in clouds.

New York was definitely an experience, and especially to such a small child seeing the huge capital for the first time.

"Uncle Sam, uncle Sam!" Cassie tugged excitedly on his sleeve and he looked down at her with a smile, her face covered with delight of the outing.

"Yes, missy?"

She briefly beamed at the nickname, something Sam used occasionally, and when he was wary of what she was going to ask. "Look!" She chirped, pointing at a nearby shop window, her excitment at the find barely contained, "it's daddy!"

Sam blinked and glanced at the display she was indicating, rather confused at the fact of Nathan being in such a high-class clothes store. When he realised what Cassie thought she meant, he couldn't help cracking up with laughter, even as she dropped her arm and pouted at him.

"What?!" She demanded with all the influence of her mum, despite being so young.

He smiled at her and gestured the the window; "that's not your dad, it's just a model to show off the clothes," he explained, not unkindly, and she frowned at him before turning to see, realisation on her face. She sighed, jutting out her lip, and automatically took her uncle's hand again as they continued down the street.

Cassie remained quiet, still looking around in wonder but not commenting on anything else, as they made their steady way through the crowds of people, keeping a tight grip on one another to prevent getting lost. As they got past a rowdy bunch of men gathered outside one of the many pubs, Sam glanced down at her to check she was okay.

Giving her hand a squeeze, he smiled when she looked up at him expectantly, and tilted his head at her disappointed expression.

"What's up, Cas?"

She shrugged, a mirror image of Nathan refusing to talk about what was on his mind, and Sam couldn't help sighing. He was about to ask again - getting information from the kid was as hard as it had been back when his brother was young - but Cassie spoke up first.

"I miss daddy," she said sadly, looking down as their pace slowed, "he's been away for weeks, and now mummy has gone too." She suddenly looked up at Sam with pleading eyes. "They haven't left me, have they? I love seeing you and Grandad Sully but I miss mummy and daddy and home."

Tears began to brim in her eyes, and Sam quickly got over his shock of her perception towards Nathan and Elena being gone so long on their current job to reply.

"First, of course they haven't abandoned you, sweetheart," he said gently but firmly, almost kneeling down so he was level with Cassie's sad face and could look her in the eye to make sure she believed him. "They're just taking a long time on the dig, and it's all the way around the world in Egypt, which you know is a long way." 

He smiled encouragingly at her, and she nodded a little uncertainly. Geography was one of her favorite subjects and she usually loved learning where places were or being asked questions about it. "Mummy said it was in Cairo," she nodded, and with a glimpse of pride added, "that's the capital."

Sam chuckled softly. "It sure is," he agreed, and studied her slightly brighter expression before pulling her in for a reassuring hug. Cassie gripped her arms around his neck and briefly buried her face in his shoulder as Sam patted her back gently.

"They'll be back before you know it," he said quietly next to her ear, and felt her grip on him tighten in response. Ignoring people passing in the street and any odd glances sent their way, he waited for Cassie to release him and pull away before taking her shoulders and giving her another smile.

She sniffed once and rubbed her nose but hadn't let any tears fall despite her aching for her parents to return. The reassurance had helped and she straightened up, practically ready to take on the world again, so much stronger than anyone could expect an eight-year-old to be.

Well, a child of such fearless explorers, taught everything she knew by the courage and love of her little family, would have such strength, no matter the age. And seeing her now in the middle of such a bustling city, standing so tall with knowledge of every country in the world and loving trust inherited from her father's timeless loyalty to his mentor...

Sam was struck by how unbelivably proud he was of Cassie, and everything she represented; everything they had achieved, no matter their beginnings. 

He stared at her, somehow wanting to convey to the girl how she was living a childhood so rich of the earth, the sort of excitement children should have towards every little thing - the sort of early life he had ached for Nathan to have had. All those wishes and wanting now were standing in front of him, the light of life in her eyes.

But she was eight, and knew little of true wonder, so Sam just looked at her and smiled, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

"Hey," he stage-whispered, Cassie looking at him with wide eyes, "how about we get some ice cream before dinner, yeah?"

A delighted grin instantly spread across her face and she jumped up and down to soundlessly express her uncontainable excitement, jostling Sam's hands from her shoulders, and he laughed as he stood up again. "Yes, yes, I want strawberry! Or chocolate! You can have chocolate!" She exclaimed in an attempt at an exaggerated whisper that carried at least a couple of blocks down the street.

Sam grinned too and held out a hand to the jumping girl. "Come on, then, miss," he nodded the way they'd came, where he remembered passing a couple of fresh ice cream stalls, and Cassie eagerly grabbed his hand, beginning to almost skip her way up the street.

"Come on!" She urged, pulling him towards the stores and simultaneously jumping on the spot with endless energy.

He laughed and instead of hurrying, scooped her up so she shrieked delightedly and dug his fingers into her side while she squirmed in his grip to get away from the tickling, giggling uncontrollably. Swept up in a rush of love for all he had now, Sam felt he had achieved what Nathan had called 'true' greatness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it takes me a while to add new chapters, though I love writing it's quite hard! Hopefully I'll be more focused on wanting to write a lot more soon, so will be able to have new stuff every few days - that's the goal! Please do suggest any ideas :)


	3. Taking Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> requested by WingsOfBlackLeather  
> Nate and Rafe fighting on Avery's ship at the end.

Rafe tilted his sword so the blade flashed in the firelight.

"You know how to sword fight?" He asked mockingly. Nate narrowed his eyes as he tracked Rafe's sure steps, circling the room around them the way a lion stalks its prey.

"Yeah, I stick you with the sharp end, right?"

He just chuckled darkly, the quiet but dangerous sound barely audible over the sound of flames devouring the wood throughout the ship. "Oh, this should be fun."

They circled each other for a moment, then Rafe stepped forward, swinging his sword lethally through the smoke-thick air. Nate managed to parry the first blow to his left, clanging the centuries-old swords together with a teeth aching sound, but didn't watch closely enough to bring his sword to meet the other a second time.

" _Ah - !"_ The sharp point caught him on the stomach as Rafe slashed it to the right, opening a small but deep wound that immediately began bleeding in earnest, seeping into his shirt.

Rafe took a couple of steps back while Nate regained his composure. "You make it too easy," the man taunted, brandishing his sword knowingly. He leapt to his right as Nate raised his own sword again, ready for another attack.

Nate stepped back as Rafe stepped forward threateningly, until he was almost backed up to the gate at the edges of the room, then Rafe launched his sword to the left - Nate quickly met the blade with his own and forced it away, only for Rafe to throw all his weight into a swing to the right.

He managed to bring the sword over to again parry the blow, hard enough to knock the other man off-balance, stumbling. Nate saw his chance and swiftly delivered a punch to Rafe's face and kicking him in the stomach, pushing him backwards against another gate.

But as his sword came over to slash at Rafe's shoulder, he'd recovered his posture enough to parry the blow, pushing Nate's weapon away again.

They circled for a second, both panting with exertion.

Rafe took a step forward and repeated his previous attack, swiping left then switching and throwing himself into a slash to the right; again, Nate parried the deadly blade both times, causing him to lose his balance for the second time, and once again driving him back with punches.

This time when Nate raised the sword to bring it down on Rafe, the man clashed the swords together briefly before bringing his free arm down on Nate's, trying to release the grip he had on the sword.

Neither let up, both stopping each other blades from reaching skin to wound, and Rafe drew back abruptly, surprising Nate, only to lash out with a strike, slicing his chest as he staggered back in pain.

Before Nate could stand up straight, Rafe saw his chance to get the upper hand and went all-in for the attack, thrusting the sword at Nate's left side, grazing his hip, then at the right and left again, both weakly parried but enough to keep the blade away from skin.

"Dodge, parry," Rafe called mockingly as their swords clanged together again and threw him off-balance.

Nate quickly followed up with a kick to the chest and punches to the face and stomach, making Rafe double over in response, and tried to bring his sword down on the man - but Rafe was quicker to react, bringing his sword up to clash, and stepping back for a second, expression twisted into hate and rage.

Rafe's sword came in from the right before Nate could bring his up, and slashed a deep wound on his shoulder which immediately oozed red blood.

"Shit," Nate hissed in pain, automatically grabbing at the injury, and leaving himself open to another attack, the blade grazing the same arm before he could gather himself.

"Got a little cut there, Nate." Rafe didn't wait before lunging forward again while Nate was almost doubled over in pain, slashing another wound when he didn't block. The cut on his back smarted but wasn't as bad, and Nate grit his teeth against pain.

He looked up and tried to follow Rafe's mocking leaps from side to side as he decided how to next attack. After a moment, the man brandished his weapon again and lightly caught Nate's right side, nevertheless allowing him to see the then incoming left attack and parry it.

"God- damn it," Nate grunted even as he managed to parry another swing. Rafe drew back for a moment, regarding Nate with a manic glint in his eyes and quick-stepping right and left as if toying with the other man.

Beginning forward again for the next attack, Rafe swung left then right, both times blocked with swords clashing loudly against one another. Nate used his own sword to push him away and off-balance, following the stumbling man to deliver a couple of blows with his fist.

But Rafe recovered quickly and grabbed his sword-hand at the next attack; he twisted around until he and Nate were almost back-to-back, trying to press his own sword against Nate's and into the boy's flesh.

"Hold - still!"

Nate struggled out of the grapple by stamping on the back of one of Rafe's legs, causing him to let go and buckle as he tried to stay standing. They both scrambled away from each other before turning to face off again.

Rafe practically snarled at Nate impatiently, "C'mon, quit prolonging the inevitable. My arm's getting tired."

With that, he ran a little to the side, beginning to once again circle his prey before attacking. He took a couple of steps forward and suddenly lunged at Nate, clanging the swords together as he blocked that blow.

Not so lucky next time as Rafe's second slash caught his skin and cut a neat new wound in his right side, before Nate managed to bring his weapon up and parry the next attack from up high.

"Oh! Sword's still sharp." Rafe smirked as he paused for a second for Nate to straighten up, regardless of the gashes littering his body now.

They side-stepped each other at the doored end of the room, dangerously close to the raging and spreading fire, until Rafe leapt into another blow, wielding the sword into another slash at Nate's side.

He parried the second blow, but the third found its mark and cut deep on his other side, almost bringing him to his knees. But despite the pain and laboured breaths as the fight continued, Nate again straightened up as blood soaked his shirt, facing Rafe with fierce determination.

Rafe paced from side to side, considering, before going in for the attack; he thrust the sword in different ways at Nate one, two, three, _four_ times, with the other weapon parrying each swipe in the air.

Nate took matters into his own hands and started towards Rafe, swinging his sword at the man, aiming for vulnerable skin. The blows were parried by Rafe's practised hand, and he took advantage of the proximity to shove Nate away with his shoulder, pushing him near flames that were beginning to spread everywhere.

Then he leapt into another attack, wielding the sword against the other and underneath the defensive movement to slash at Nate's stomach again, opening another shallow slit in the skin.

But he didn't wait for the stinging to cease; he went straight in with his own attack against Rafe, punching in the face and swinging his weapon against the other.

Before Nate could get back, Rafe parried his attack and immediately grabbed him, throwing on the floor with a quick manoeuvre that gave himself the upper hand. Rafe began to push his sword down to Nate's exposed throat, grimacing in effort.

"This... might hurt a little," he ground out, ignoring the horrible grating sound of metal on metal as he continued to press his sword against Nate's, sharp side towards the boy's neck.

Nate gritted his teeth against the effort and pain from his not-sword hand that was pressed against the blade, cutting into his palm and dripping blood onto the wooden deck. "Enough!" He yelled, kicking Rafe off him and making a wild swing with his sword before rolling away.

Rafe put a hand to the meagre cut on his stomach and shook his head as if disappointed. "C'mon, legend," he growled, barely giving Nate time to get up again before attacking.

The fight that then ensued went faster and more deadly than their previous dance; Rafe made increasingly aggressive swipes at Nate, who had to desperately block or dodge the sharp blade lest it hit something vital.

Despite his best efforts, Rafe's weapon continually struck him, cutting into skin on his shoulder, stomach, chest; each wound stung as if burned and seeped blood, but Nate kept moving and stayed standing.

It hurt like hell, but only as much as the sight of Sam at the side of their fight, lying helplessly unconscious underneath that heavy beam of wood.

Nate could see his brother out of the corner of his eye as he ducked Rafe's blade for the umpteenth time, getting the next attack cut into his side for not paying attention. He could only stumble away, almost going to his knees in pain and exhaustion before weakly raising his sword again.

It hurt like hell. But so did the thought of Rafe gutting him and moving on to slit Sam's throat.

Eventually, Nate somehow gained the upper hand in strength, and fought Rafe to the side of the room, back against the gating that was growing hot from inching flames.

"Now that's the Nathan Drake I hear so much about," Rafe sneered, even as Nate pushed his own sword harder against Rafe's and towards his throat, forcing his head back against the gate, both weapons threatening close to cutting into his neck.

Rafe gritted his teeth, knowing he was momentarily beaten. "All right, all right," he countered, still holding his sword against Nate's for dear life.

"We're done here," Nate growled out, staring him in the eyes with rage. "I'm taking my brother and we're leaving. You want to stay here and burn with this ship, you be my guest."

There was a pause as he stared Rafe down. "You got me," the other man conceded, but before Nate could withdraw, Rafe twisted the swords and threw him off balance, then swung his sword, hard, at him and catching his stomach, slicing a deep cut across.

Nate fell back, clutching at the wound with a pained sound as he lifted his head from the deck to eye Rafe. The man walked purposefully at him, holding the sword out as if pointing accusingly.

"You know what, Nate?" Rafe began as Nate pushed himself backwards to avoid being speared, an arm held out above him as if that would stop a sword's edge.

"Underneath all the bravado, you're just a sad little boy with _delusions_ of grandeur." Rafe sneered, clearly enjoying this moment of Nathan Drake at his mercy. "Who, by the way, can't fence for shit."

He considered Nate's vulnerability for a moment before beginning to raise the sword. "So long, Nathan Drake."

"Nathan!"

Sam did his best to throw Nate the sword and he grabbed it from the deck, immediately raising it above him to counter Rafe's attacks. At this point it seemed almost impossible to win this fight, but if there was one thing Nate knew after all these years, it was to never give in.

After all, with Sam back on his side, at least he had a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally finished up a few fics I had in progress, and now I can at long last work on this! I will be doing my best to fill the requests that people have already commented in the next few days, and then we'll see if I'll continue this, writing both requests and my own ideas, or if this hasn't really worked out and I'll just complete it. Anyway, thanks for reading :)


	4. An Adventure Family Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adventure family (all five of them!) go on holiday, it doesn't go all as planned, but all of them are used to accidents around Nate so it doesn't take long to sort out.   
> alternatively; Cassie takes it upon her five year old self to be Helpful on holiday and it doesn't exactly Work Out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested/Suggested by MikaZukrovia  
> note: It got way out of hand but I don't care, I love what happened, even though we will never know what Endings are since I can't write them  
> -  
> side-note: I'm British, and you may notice as such in my writing.   
> No need to point it out, I got an A in English I'll have you know!

When Elena had suggested a night out, she didn’t expect Nate to go all-out in organising not only a night, but a three-day holiday, and inviting (also known as forcing) both Sam and Sully along too.

That would be the reason why they were currently all in a packed car sitting still in traffic on the way to their destination.

“Sam! Stop poking her!” Nate hissed loudly from the back, and there was a sound that suggested he’d just elbowed his brother.

“Hey! You’re the one that made me sit in the middle.”

“ _Actually_ I was in the front but Elena kicked me out, it’s not my fault you’re in the middle.”

“Well _ac_ tually,” Sam began to retort, “Victor kicked you out and Elena told me to entertain Cassie-“

By that point their voices had risen just above normal talking level, and the four-year-old in her car seat stirred and stretched, immediately silencing both boys.

They watched breathlessly as Cassie yawned, eyes still closed, and turned her head towards the window to settle back into sleep.

“If you two wake that kid up,” Sully whispered threateningly from the passenger seat, glaring back at the brothers, “then I will personally shut you in the car with her screaming.”

The three of them continued muttering what sounded like insults to each other, and Elena ignored them as the mass line of cars finally began to thin out and she could start driving again.

“Don’t, uh, drive us off a cliff, hun,” Nate said abruptly as the car gathered speed. He sounded genuinely nervous and Elena smirked without looking behind her.

“You’d better behave yourselves then.”

She watched her husband and brother-in-law exchange wary looks in the rear-view mirror and winked at Sully next to her.

He nodded back but couldn’t help feeling vaguely apprehensive as they crossed a tall bridge, though he knew it was more than his daughter-in-law’s life to put any of their family in danger.

But having somewhat raised those two boys since childhood, he knew trouble-dealing techniques, and thought of that while he grinned out the window.

Elena was one hell of a mother, and not just to a little girl.

* * *

They arrived at the chalet – or, at Cassie’s insistence, their ‘holiday home’ – predictably late, unpacked with a lot of fuss about rooms, and Elena began preparing dinner, with Cassie jumping in to ‘help’ about half way through.

“Look, sweetie, the cheese goes into the pan,” Elena urged her daughter gently for the fifth time, putting a hand over Cassie’s to stop her dropping the grated cheese.

Cassie blinked up at her with huge innocent eyes. “Sorry mummy,” she replied solemnly, very carefully placing the handful of cheese back on the chopping board and dusting her hands off.

Sully, who had been watching them with amusement for a while, wandered up behind the little girl. “Hey darlin’, how about we go for a walk and come back for dinner?”

His offer took her attention and Elena shot her father-in-law a grateful look before trying to make cheese sauce for the sixth time. Cassie considered this option, frowning seriously while she decided if her mum could make dinner on her own.

Soon though she had concluded that Elena could, indeed, handle cooking, and excitedly turned to Sully, jumping off a little stool she’d been using the reach the counter and into him with a hug.

“Yeah! Let’s go explore!” She cheered, jumping up and down while holding his hand. He chuckled and led her towards the door, briefly waving to Elena.

Once they were gone, the place was quiet for a moment, and Elena sighed a little in relief. She loved her daughter more than anything, but having a child really was a handful – and it wasn’t like she was experienced in any way!

However, barely minutes of silence had passed until sounds came from the rooms down the hallway, and she paused in putting pasta on the stove.

“Look, Elena and I have the double bed because, uh, she’s my wife and we sleep together-“

“But you just said Cassie is going to be with you-“

“Yeah, we’re not _literally_ going to ‘sleep’ together with her in the bed.”

“So I gotta share this room with Victor?”

“There’s two single beds, I don’t see your problem.”

“It’ll be _weird_ and doesn’t Cassie like to talk to him loudly at seven-?”

“Unless you want to sleep on the sofa and have Cass sit on you at 5 in the morning when she watches cartoons…”

Elena just sighed as the brothers continued to discuss the two bedrooms and she dumped the pasta in the saucepan of boiling water, shaking her head with a smile on her face.

Mostly because those dumbass boys were her family.

* * *

It was morning on the last day of the holiday. It was quiet. It was dawn. Everyone was still exhausted from the nightclub last night.

Everyone, that was, except for a little girl.

Cassie very carefully slipped out of her parent’s bed and padded to the half-open door. Very gently she eased the door open without it creaking or squeaking. She padded down the short hallway, past the little bathroom and the other bedroom, to the main room.

With careful movements, she reached up as high as she could and edged her hand along the kitchen counter towards the coffee pot. Now, Cassie _was_ almost five, and she reckoned she could handle it, and she knew her parents, as well as uncle Sam and grandad Sully, all liked this stuff in the morning.

She was going to be a helpful girl this morning and make them a pot of this drink so they could all get up and play until they had to go home later.

Carefully, she eased the glass and plastic jug to the edge of the counter, and reached her other hand up to take its weight, removing it from its pedestal.

It nestled safely in her arms, empty and waiting, and she allowed herself a grin of part-triumph.

Cassie walked slowly over to the sink, which was luckily lower than the counter, and veeeerrry delicately eased the jug underneath the tap. She reached out and turned it on, watching closely as the water quietly sloshed into the jug.

When the water in the jug reached a line in about the middle of the measuring side – with Cassie’s nose almost pressed against the glass – she quickly turned the tap off and readied herself to pick the heavier jug up again.

She confidently hoisted the jug in her arms like before and carried it over to where it lived on the counter, reaching up to place it back on the electrical plate thing that makes it work.

At that moment, Nate walked into the room in his pyjama t-shirt and trousers, looking mussed and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

He wandered over to his daughter, who remained unaware of his presence, concentrating on putting the coffee pot back.

“Hey Cass, what’re you do-“

She jumped in surprise and hastily turned around to face her father, unsure if she felt guilty or not, but as she turned, Cassie swept the jug off the counter with her elbow and it hurtled to the floor, smashing at Nate’s sock-covered feet.

Nate failed to step back in time and a late retreat earned him a small stabbing pain from glass in his foot; he swore and grabbed at the counter for support, but missed and fell to the shard-covered tile.

Cassie had backed up, eyes wide in horror, and watched her dad quickly put an arm out so that was the only skin to hit the floor, getting immediately covered in bloody scratches from the glass.

He winced in quite a bit of pain and groaned, not moving yet – more in reflection of his own goddamn luck than actually being seriously hurt. But Cassie saw red drip from his arm and opened her mouth in panic to scream as only a child could.

Elena ran in, full mother-mode activated, with Sully – having had practically a lifetime of looking after disaster magnet Nate – behind her. Despite all of their experiences of incidents and injuries, they both paused in somewhat disbelief at the situation.

Then they were in action; Elena rushed around the glass to pick up her daughter, for both safety and comfort, Cassie gripping to her in fear. Sully quickly took the dustpan and brush from its nearby place and put it down beside the glass as he carefully crouched next to Nate in some concern - who had quickly sat up so not to unnecessarily worry anyone and was trying to examine his merrily bleeding arm.

“Well, that’s going to look interesting,” Nate murmured, before Sully carefully took his arm to check how bad the injuries actually were and how much glass was actually stuck in it, shushing Nate’s hisses of pain as he triaged.

Elena opened her mouth to say something (she wasn’t sure what yet), watching worriedly – having physically assessed that Cassie was unhurt – but at _that_ moment Sam hurried in, pulling a shirt on, and stopped in the doorway with wide eyes roving over the people in the room.

He blinked. “Does this mean there’s no coffee today?”

Cassie burst into tears, screaming that she’d hurt daddy really really bad and she was so so sorry, while Sully told Sam to sweep the glass up as he helped Nate (who was more concerned about comforting Cass) to his feet so he could tend to him properly, and Elena tried to calm Cassie down and reassure her that daddy would be fine so she could sob out the whole story of what happened.

Just another morning in the Drake family, even on a holiday.

* * *

 

Cassie sat attentively on her father’s lap, watching Sully finish bandaging Nate’s arm after carefully removing all the glass pieces with tweezers and cleaning it, all the while examining the wounds closely in case they needed better medical attention (because God knows Nate wouldn’t say so).

Both Nate’s point that he could administer first aid himself, and Elena’s hesitation at letting Cass watch Nate get patched up, had been met with discord from Cassie and Sully, and so there the three of them were on the sofa while Elena made breakfast (and kept an eye on them).

Sam, on the other hand, had been tasked with packing, after cleaning away the glass with some drama and not-completely-subtly giving his brother a once-over to make sure that he would definitely be fine; and now muffled thumps with some swearing could be heard down the hallway.

“There you go,” Sully announced, neatly fastening the bandage with tape before returning it to the first aid kit, giving Cassie a reassuring smile.

Nate let her stroke the soft bandage that ‘made the hurt all better’ – Sully’s words, not his – and glanced at his mentor as Sully stood up with the first aid kit and a small cup of collected glass shards.

“Thanks,” he smiled, and paused before adding, “though I could have done it myself…”

Sully hit him lightly on the back of the head with the kit. “Shut it,” he mock-reprimanded, and smiled back. “You’re welcome, kid.”

He shook his head fondly as Cassie got her dad’s attention back and began kissing the hurt arm to ‘make it all better’. “Only you,” he sighed, wandering away still smiling.

“Only us,” Elena corrected with a wink as he reached her. Sully chuckled in agreement and let her take the glass carefully from him to wrap in paper for the rubbish.

Another loud thump came from the bedroom and Sully sighed, exchanging an exasperated yet affectionate look with Elena – something they perfected.

“Better go and see to the other one if we want to get home before midnight,” he said knowingly, and she couldn’t help a grin although she _was_ the one to task Sam with packing in the first place.

She nodded and gestured to the sofa, “I’ll get these two fed,” she replied, and he gave her a warm smile before heading up the hall.

Elena turned back to the growing pile of pancakes and a brewing pot of tea (what a substitute), listening to Cassie in the background chatting excitedly to Nate.

Yeah; home with her family sounded good, although it wasn’t just the place, it was the people.

* * *

 

Sully glanced at the back seat of the car as he waited for some traffic lights to change.

Catching his gaze, Elena looked up from her book and turned her gaze to the back as well, twisting around in the passenger seat, a smile spreading across her face at the scene.

The three occupants had fallen asleep together; Nate was leant against his older brother’s shoulder, his injured arm held protectively close, while Sam was leaning back against the seat, his face tilted to the sky and one of his hands on Cassie’s lap as she slept snuggled in her car seat, her uncle’s fingers clutched in her own.

Elena nudged Sully to continue driving when she saw the lights change out of the corner of her eye, though she continued watching the sleeping trio breathe soundly before turning back to face the front.

“Did you ever imagine how lucky you’d be?” She asked suddenly, studying her father-in-law with a usually intense gaze.

He glanced at her, a bit surprised. “Of course not, sweetheart,” he said, a soft smile on his face – one usually reserved for moments of being unspeakably proud of Nate.

That certain expression had barely disappeared at the wedding, and was etched forever into photos.

She nodded, satisfied, and watched out the window for a minute, book forgotten on her lap. “Though I wouldn’t really call that-“ she gestured outside, indicating the last few days, “-a relaxing ‘vacation’.”

Elena laughed quietly, more at her own expense of having such a hectic family than anything else. Not that she would change it for the world.

Sully hummed in agreement as they cruised along the road, still smiling. “I guess it’s called having a family,” he replied, and she couldn’t agree more.

…Even when 10 minutes Sam jostled Nate in his sleep, who woke with a yelp from moving his injured limb, and thus woke Cassie into confused crying as well as Sam who rather rolled his eyes at his brother’s soreness, starting more bickering between them.

Cassie found watching them argue was more fun than crying for no reason, and clapped her little hand in glee when they started poking and flicking each other, giggling at the immaturity.

This went on until Nate did actually bash his arm against the door, which really did hurt, and Elena hit Sam on the knee (the only part of him she could reach easily) with her hard book to make it even.

But then Sully informed them that if the childish behaviour continued – apart from Cassie, who _was_ a child – he’s put them all in a playpen to beat each other up, and Elena pouted and went back to reading her book properly.

The other three continued sniggering in the back, and Sully left them to it, secretly smiling as he drove the family home.

And once they get there, nothing will go back to ‘normal’, because normal never was their idea of a life well lived.

But their ‘normal’ was all they needed any more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one got away from me and I regret nothing. It took me a while and went on a long time but it's adorable with a healthy dose of domestic minor hurt/comfort and Cassie being brilliant, and bickering brothers, and father & children.  
> Also- I was meaning to write a Father's Day fic today, since it is Father's Day, but I spent most of the time writing this and it was pretty good, though I pondered making it into the Father's Day fic, I decided against it bc it was a request long before now, and also I like the way it turned out how it is :)


	5. Cassandra Victoria Drake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie's name was a surprise and Sam, to equal surprise, finds himself rather moved.  
> (requested by bluerowan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dithered for a while over Cassie's middle name since she doesn't have a canon one; in the end I went for Victoria over Samantha or something, because although I know their dog is called Vicky, epilogue pictures suggest they didn't get her till Cass was about 2 or 3, so I reckon Nate and Elena would've without question named their daughter with Sully's name as well.  
> I just love this family so much.

Sam walked steadily after Victor down the hospital halls, the only close sounds of their shoes on the squeaky clean tile. He wrung his hands in a nervous way, still totally unsure about this.

Victor stopped so suddenly that Sam almost walked into him.

"Here we go," he said, gesturing to the room door they'd stopped at. Sam nodded but didn't make a move to enter, instead somewhat glaring at the door as if it'd threatened him. He heard Victor chuckle quietly and shot him a look.

"What?" Sam said defensively.

The old man just shook his head, a smile still on his lips, and reached out for the door handle before pausing. "Trust me, I'm not good at this either. Just relax a bit and, y'know, try not to look so tense. She's just a small kid."

With that Victor pushed open the door and stepped inside, holding it open expectantly for Sam to follow.

They were greeted with only Elena, sitting up in the hospital bed and cradling something in her arms - the baby. Sam gently closed the door behind him and Elena looked up with a smile, nodding at Sully.

"How're you doing, darlin'?"

He walked around the side of the bed, gazing at the baby's face as if it was the sun. Sure, Victor was softer than he often let on (adopted a kid off the street, enforcing this view; something Sam could never completely thank him for), but his careful movements as he stroked the baby's tiny head still managed to stun Sam a little.

Well, he supposed he'd have to get used to it. They had time.

Elena looked up at him and he quickly managed an awkward sort-of wave. "Uh, hi." She laughed quietly, shaking her head at his signature 'sorry I made your husband lie to you also hi I exist' move, and simply beckoned him over.

"Come on, Sam. Come see her." Her voice was exhausted from the tiredness and effort of the last day, but it was clear to see how happy she was.

And that, more than anything, compelled Sam to obey.

Slowly he approached the other side of the bed than Victor, feeling rather apprehensive as he looked down at what at first seemed just a bundle of blankets. But he could quickly make out a nose, a soft mouth, bright eyes.

It was beautiful. "Wow..." he breathed, unable to help himself. He remembered that Victor had referred to the baby as 'she' and silently reprimanded himself for calling her an 'it'. 

She blinked her wide eyes, looking back at Sam almost expectantly, as if waiting for more from him. Elena sighed as she stared down at her child; a happy sound that could only express the pure joy of this moment, as well as many more to come.

A little unsure of what else exactly to do, Sam glanced up at Victor, who was leaning against the window ledge, smiling.

Victor caught his gaze and visibly stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "She looks like you," he said to Elena, as a prompt for Sam to carry on.

"Talking of," he began, looking around the room as if his brother was hiding, "where's Nathan?" Then, in genuine concern, "he's not, ah, run off in shock, right? Because I don't do kids. Like, babies. I don't know anything about them."

Elena just started laughing, which Sam took to be a good thing, while Victor actually did roll his eyes. Sam grinned.

"Nah, he got that out of the way nine months ago," she replied, glancing down at the baby as it made a noise then back up at Sam.

"Same," he muttered. Victor coughed pointedly and gave him a look.

She gestured vaguely outside the room and sighed. "I asked him to go find a nurse and ask if I can have coffee," she explained, to which Sam and Sully nodded sagely, "but that was, like, half an hour ago."

Glancing at a plain clock on the wall, Sam shrugged. "Eh, not surprised."

"Well, I can go hunt the kid down?" Sully offered, but Elena shook her head with a smile.

"I'm sure he can find his way back well enough, Nate just likes to take his sweet time-"

At that moment, the door opened and sure enough, "Ah, speak of the magician and he shall appear," Sam commented with a grin as Nathan shot him an exasperated look. He shut the door behind him and automatically headed over to Elena, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Well?" She asked, only a touch desperately.

Nate grimaced in apology. "Uh, well at first I asked a random nurse but I think she heard me wrong because she stared at me as if I was insane and said that babies don't drink coffee."

He shrugged, smirking at the other two men as Sam snorted in laughter and Victor just sighed, shaking his head in mock despair.

"Anyway, so then I went to the front desk place-"

"Nurses' station," Elena supplied.

"-yeah, that, and asked for your head nurse or whatever, and when I explained about you wanting coffee, they sort of agreed you couldn't, but just to check - because she was pretty sympathetic, apparently she's had like four children - she went and found a midwife, who also said no, so, ah, no, you can't have coffee."

Elena groaned dramatically when Nate finished his little story, and he patted her shoulder in support.

By which time the baby decided that it wasn't getting enough attention and let out a loud cry that made Sam jump. Nathan raised an eyebrow at him. "You seem a bit twitchy."

Sam narrowed his eyes. "You don't," he shot back.

"I've been living with a pregnant woman for months. No offense, honey," he added hastily to Elena who gave him a swift smile before going back to shushing her child.

"Yes, and I lived with you two for months," Victor interjected, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed, "so quit the bickering."

Nathan grinned at him. "Aw, that's cute. And now you have a little granddaughter to spoil."

Sam sniggered until they both looked at him.

"Don't know what you're laughing about, _uncle_ ," Victor emphasised, immediately silencing him.

"Damn," he muttered, freshly aware of what he'd walked into. He blinked down at the bed, where Elena was still trying to shush an increasingly loud crying from the baby, which had now successfully got probably everyone in the building's attention.

Victor sighed and stepped forward besides Nathan. "Is she hungry? We can leave," he offered, indicating himself and Sam, who raised an eyebrow.

Nathan gave him a grateful smile but Elena replied. "No, well, I doubt it; I fed her literally before you two came in," she said, frowning as she tried to rock the baby. "Maybe she's just tired."

"She's not the only one," Nathan murmured, only a little grimly, before leaning down to talk to his child. "It's okay, Cassie, go back to sleep. We'll still be here, sweetie," he said gently.

Sam watched open-mouthed as the baby curled her tiny fingers around one of Nathan's own and began to settle down, her cries fading quietly as she eventually blinked and closed her eyes, settling into sleep.

Nathan grinned in triumph and eased his finger out of her relaxed hand, straightening up after giving Elena a short kiss, their smiles pressed against each other.

They were so happy. It was... such a good feeling, making everything so much brighter. Sam had never been the most depressed person, but he certainly didn't have a steady level of optimism, given his past. But this was a whole new thing, something more important than treasure.

Something Nathan had been trying to tell him all along.

He cleared his throat quietly as possible, aware of emotions rising in him, but his brother looked up at him, a smirk creeping on his face.

"You're not going to cry on me, are you?" He asked, an echo of similarity from when Sam returned from the dark after fifteen years. It fit, after all, since this was the start of a new life as well. Even better, this life was pure.

Sam coughed a little self-consciously, feeling Nathan and Victor and probably Elena too, gazing at him, gauging his reaction. Which, to be honest, he wasn't all that sure really was right now.

Well, he'd gladly be their amusement for the moment, but there was something he needed to know.

"I just, uh... what's her name?"

Nathan looked at Elena in surprise. "You didn't tell them?"

She shrugged. "I figured you wanted to. Well, Sully already knows though," she added, nodding at Victor by the wall to her left, who smiled back innocently.

"Of course," Nathan said as if he was in on their in-law secrets. He wasn't, obviously, and Sam caught his slightly confused look before he turned back to him. "Right. Well, uh..." he trailed off and glanced at Elena again. "You tell him."

She looked at him and smiled, and Sam felt very aware he was being closely watched. It must be important.

"Cassandra Victoria Drake."

He blinked for a second, that settling in. _Victoria_ , obviously; Sully had been a father, more and less, to Nathan from the day they met, and as much as he seemed to occasionally resent their close relationship, Sam couldn't be more grateful for the love and protection Victor offered to his little brother.

That alone was emotional enough - and made sense as to Victor already knowing; no doubt such a thing was Elena's doing, since Nathan seemed often incapable of expressing freely how much Sully meant to him, and anyway the older man was no better.

But that name. _Cassandra..._

Sam felt acutely aware of his eyes pricking with threatening tears. _Christ, I haven't felt like crying since I was a kid._

They were still all looking at him expectantly, Nathan clearly quite pleased with himself, while Victor was genuinely interested in Sam's reaction, having assumingly had his moment earlier.

"So?" Elena said quietly, her soft gaze reassuring him.

He nodded. "That's, uh, really nice." Sam hesitated, catching Nathan's eye. "Gone all ancient, little brother, naming a child after your parents?"

Victor moved in the background, clearly understanding what that meant - especially coming from him - but Sam continued staring at his brother. He really wanted to convey at least a part of how much the naming actually meant to him.

Nathan nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Yeah. What'd you think?"

"I think mom would be proud."

And that was all they needed to know. It was silent for a moment, both brothers feeling kind of awkward with the emotional stuff, and Elena sniffed loudly.

"Oh, don't," Victor straightened up, looking warningly at her. "If you cry, I'll cry, Nate'll probably cry, and it'll be a disaster."

Elena's sniff turned into a giggle and Nathan laughed, giving him a friendly push. "Speak for yourself, old man, I never cry," he smirked, and Victor lightly hit him on the back of the head in retaliation. "Hey!"

"Shut it, kid, I've heard the story of 'tears in a jar' enough to be sure you do cry."

"Oooh, I'm not sure I've heard that one," Sam interrupted, grinning, and stepped forward to Elena's bed, bending down to stage-whisper, "Tell me later, okay?"

She nodded, still sniggering, while Nathan gave her a wounded look and shot Victor a betrayed glare, who just spread his hands with a grin. "You're the one who got into the whole family-sharing thing!"

He rolled his eyes and Elena nudged him to inform, "yeah, the man police are gonna take away your macho card any day now."

Breaking into a fresh set of giggles from Nathan's completely-done expression, she sobered quickly when Cassie stirred in her arms, unhappy about being jiggled by her mother's laughter.

Thankfully she didn't wake, and Sam sighed in relief. "I prefer her asleep," he confessed at Nathan's glance, and Victor made a sound of agreement from the other side, increasing Nate's current look of exhausted-and-totally-done-with-you-two.

Elena straightened up a little and tilted her head questioningly at Sam, thinking. "Here, you can hold her," she announced, presenting the bundle of blankets and baby towards him, who immediately backed up, hands out in surrender.

"Uh, no, I don't think so, really not my thing..." he tried to protest, but Nathan had lit up at the idea and delightedly took the baby from Elena and backed Sam into a corner, confidently holding Cassie out for him to take.

"Nathan. Seriously?!"

"Yep. Come on, big brother, show me how it's done!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels weird to write Victor instead of Sully, but since it's in Sam's POV I feel that getting name terms correct is important. I started cross-terming (if that's a word) as the story went on though so idk what happened there, but nevermind. I like nicknames and certain-people-names a lot okay.  
> This totally got away from me this morning and I REGRET NOTHING I love this family so so much and I love this story a lot and everything is brilliant and they deserve everything ever *cries for fifteen years*


	6. Scotland Getaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Sam scramble to get into the plane and away from Scotland's freezing environment, followed by bullets and left with the usual aches and pains

Nate fired a lucky headshot on the last guy he could see standing on the opposite cliff, then glanced around for Sam before running to the rocky slope that led straight down, all the rest of the way to the sea.

“Sam, come on! Let’s just go!”

He jumped for the slope as Sam yelled an unintelligible reply due to the gunfire, shouting, and howling wind. The storm was really setting in, and that didn’t help at all – hopefully Sully would be able to drive through it, else they were incredibly screwed.

It was a good thing Nate was used to looking out for a partner when on ‘business’, and despite having spent some time retired, three years was nothing compared to being raised by the trigger of a gun and the sound of someone at your back. So he automatically looked behind him to see Sam leap for the slope, even as Nate’s path turned and became a degree steeper to speed up the descent to the sea.

“Ahhh, this is going to suck!” Sam yelled as he rounded the corner, but Nate had found something more concerning; the very bottom of the slope was just a group of needle-like rocks, pointing up from the sea.

Luckily there was a helpful branch jutting out from a cliff above them, and without a second’s hesitation Nate pushed off the edge of the stony slope with his legs and threw his rope hook desperately at the branch. Thankfully it took and though the branch bent a little, it didn’t even crack under the pressure, allowing him to safely swing over the dangerous rocks and drop into the sea from a height.

Which didn’t offer any benefits to the plunge into water which resembled the temperature of something like liquid nitrogen – only the salt water simply stung various cuts and grazes instead of actually melting the skin off. But exaggeration or not, the Scotland sea in winter was more than mere freezing, and as Nate smashed the surface, let go of the AK gun, and held his nose in futile preparation, something Elena had said the other day suddenly occurred to him; ‘like a shock to the lungs’.

And while he was fairly certain she hadn’t been talking about European seas in November, it was a very valid statement right now.

He struggled to the surface after sinking for a second, gasping in shock and pain from the water. But people were still firing from behind, and Sully’s plane was right in front, and he could hear Sam screaming as he reached the end of the slope, so Nate didn’t have any time to stop; he immediately struck out for the open door of the seaplane, soaked and accidently swallowing what felt like more water than he’d drunk in the entire day.

With what little breath he had, he yelled out as loud as he could, “Sully, get her going!” The engines began whirling and added another overwhelming noise to the symphony of yells and curses and gunshots from the cliffs.

Reaching the door after what was actually only a couple of seconds, Nate quickly hauled himself into the plane and straight away turned around to grab Sam’s hand and drag him in too, too frantic to wait. As Sam yelled at Sully to go, Nate stuck an arm out to pull the door shut, bullets plinking off the metal.

He slammed it and reached upwards above it for the other bit, dragging that in with a clash even as pain lanced across his arm.

The engines roared and they were borne up into the sky, the loud sounds behind them fading. Nate found himself leaning heavily against the metal beside the door, coughing into one of his jacket’s sleeves, almost gagging on all the damn salt water he’d choked on.

Against the other side (about two steps away), Sam almost aggressively pulled his jacket off and dropped it on the floor in distaste before looking up and stepping over to Nate to put a hand on his back in mild concern.

“Tryna drink the sea again, huh,” he said jokingly, though it was slightly forced; it was an echo of a distant day on a beach where older taught the younger how exactly to swim, with a few near-accidents that were later laughed about.

Nate didn’t have the breath to answer back, so he just gave his brother a look that Sam ignored and instead started to help him take off his jacket, peeling the drenched material off and throwing it where the other one had been dropped.

He leaned heavily against the metal wall as he raggedly tried to catch his breath, and Sam moved to peer out a side window, trying to see if they’d successfully left Nadine’s army behind.

“Reckon we’re far enough away?” He asked no one in particular, looking out at clouds.

Nate shrugged, prompting his arm to remind him of the pain there, and it was Sully that answered Sam. “Nadine won’t bother her army with following us,” he said simply but in a clipped tone.

Sam hummed in unconvinced agreement and glanced at his brother as if to share a doubtful look, but caught sight of the blood-soaked sleeve Nate was wincing about, the redness darkening even the water-drenched black top he wore.

“Shit, Nathan, you did get hit!”

He looked up as Sam returned to his side and abruptly took his injured arm to roll the sleeve up and check how bad it was. Nate hissed in pain while his brother examined the deep graze a bullet had struck just below the elbow. So to distract himself and bother Sam, he said (in a childish way), “I never said I didn’t.”

As expected, he got an unamused look. “After you shut the door, I said ‘Nathan, you hit?’ and you shook your head, which generally means the answer ‘no’,” Sam informed him, as if talking to a child. Which his little brother could often be.

Nate shrugged with one shoulder. “Well I couldn’t hear you, obviously.”

Sam just heaved a sigh. “Well it looks kinda deep but you’ll probably be fine with a bandage,” he observed helpfully.

“Gee, thanks Sam, that was such a thorough explanation,” Nate replied back sarcastically, rolling his eyes. In retaliation, his brother deliberately squeezed the side of the wound and Nate gasped in reaction as he pulled his arm out of Sam’s grasp with a glare and a mutter; “Jerk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will never know what an Ending is! This is incredibly abrupt but I seriously just didn't know what else to add or do, so there we go.  
> Please feel free to request something and/or leave a review! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Since playing and being consequently amazed by Uncharted 4, I've had so many fic ideas, but none of them want to.. come forth *vague hand gestures* - so as a solution, instead of having to write full stories, I'm going to work on a short collection of drabbles connected to A Thief's End, and it would be currently helpful for others to prompt me, so please comment your ideas!


End file.
